Biography
Supporting character actor Henry O'Neill made a career out of playing distinguished grey-haired gentlemen such as fathers, lawyers and business executives. He began his acting career when he quit college and became part of a traveling theater troupe. He had a short break from acting when he went off to fight in the First World War, but when he left the army in 1919, he quickly reestablished himself on the stage. In 1930, he was in his first film role, appearing with Spencer Tracy in the short drama "The Strong Arm," and three years later he appeared in his first feature film, "I Loved a Woman." From there, he left his stage career behind and began to make regular appearances throughout the 1930s in films from Warner Bros., like the James Cagney crime comedy "Lady Killer," and the drama "The Man with Two Faces," in which he played a police inspector. In the 1940s, he made a move to MGM studios and appeared in films such as "Billy the Kid," playing a newspaper editor, and the 1942 adaptation of John Steinbeck's story "Tortilla Flat," playing a priest. By the end of the 1950s, he began to slow his film appearances due to his deteriorating health. He made his last appearance playing Captain Spear, alongside John Wayne, in 1957's John Ford-directed "The Wings of Eagles." In total, the prolific actor appeared in almost 180 roles.
